It always helps an election candidate if they are mayor of their town or county in an election year. This was a boost for Fianna Fáil's Clare Mayor Cllr Cathal Crowe who raised his profile even further during the controversy over the plan to hold a Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) commemoration. He said he would boycott such an event, describing it as a "step too far".

First elected to the council in 2004 when he was 21 he represents the Shannon Municipal District. The Parteen National School teacher is seen as a dynamic force in Clare for the party.

The 39-year-old has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Limerick and graduate diploma in primary teaching from Mary Immaculate College.

He knows the European Parliament well having worked as political assistant to former MEP Brian Crowley, been an Irish delegate to the EU Committee of the Regions in Brussels and spent time there as an intern in 2002.